Install
Add this to your client's MCP configuration (Claude Desktop: claude_desktop_config.json; Cursor: .cursor/mcp.json; VS Code and others use the same "mcpServers" shape).
claude mcp add --transport http geonames 'https://gateway.pipeworx.io/geonames/mcp'{
"mcpServers": {
"geonames": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/geonames/mcp"
}
}
}Documentation
From the project's README on GitHub, refreshed weekly. Links open on GitHub.
Contents
mcp-geonames
GeoNames MCP — GeoNames geographical database API
Part of Pipeworx — an MCP gateway connecting AI agents to 1683+ live data sources.
Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_geonames | Search for places (cities, towns, landmarks, regions) by name and get which STATE / PROVINCE / COUNTY / PREFECTURE / administrative division (German Bundesland, UK county, Canadian province, Japanese prefecture, Indian/Australian/Mexican state, etc.) they are in, plus country, coordinates, population, and feature type. Answers "what state is <city> in", "which US/German/Australian state is <city> in", "what province/county/prefecture/region is <place> in" — the admin_region field is the state/province/county/prefecture (e.g. search_geonames("Naperville", "US") → Illinois; ("Heidelberg", "DE") → Baden-Württemberg; ("Leeds", "GB") → England; ("Osaka", "JP") → Osaka). Worldwide coverage. Example: search_geonames("Paris", "FR"). Use get_nearby to find places near a known location. |
get_nearby | Find places near a given latitude/longitude. Returns nearby cities, landmarks, and features sorted by distance. Example: get_nearby(48.8566, 2.3522) for places near Paris. |
get_timezone | Get timezone information for a latitude/longitude location. Returns timezone ID, GMT offset, DST offset, current local time, sunrise, and sunset. Example: get_timezone(40.7128, -74.0060) for New York. |
find_postal_codes | Look up postal/ZIP codes and places by each other. Pass "postal_code" (+ country) to find the place(s) a code maps to ("what city is ZIP 90210"); or pass "place" (+ country) to find the postal codes for a place name ("postal codes for Paris"). Returns place name, country, admin region (state/county), postal code, and coordinates. |
Quick Start
Add to your MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, etc.):
{
"mcpServers": {
"geonames": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/geonames/mcp"
}
}
}What this endpoint actually serves
tools/list at https://gateway.pipeworx.io/geonames/mcp returns the tools in the table
above plus the shared Pipeworx meta-tools — ask_pipeworx,
discover_tools, search_within, remember/recall and the rest of the
gateway-wide set. So the tool count you see is larger than this table: a
single-pack endpoint currently lists roughly 30 shared tools alongside the
pack's own. The connection's initialize response states its exact scope, and
is the authoritative answer for a given day.
This is deliberate, not multiplexing by accident. The meta-tools are what let a
scoped connection answer a question this pack does not cover — via
ask_pipeworx, which routes across the whole catalog — without you adding a
second MCP server. There is currently no way to mount a pack endpoint without
them; if the extra schemas cost you more context than the routing is worth,
connect to the full gateway once rather than to several pack endpoints.
Or connect to the full Pipeworx gateway to get every pack's tools listed directly, instead of just this one's:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pipeworx": {
"url": "https://gateway.pipeworx.io/mcp"
}
}
}Both URLs reach the same gateway and the same 1683+ data sources. The
only difference is which pack's tools are listed directly; ask_pipeworx
reaches all of them from either one.
No MCP client? Call it over HTTP
curl -X POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_geonames \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-d '{"query":"Tokyo"}'No account needed for the first calls. Inspect any tool: GET https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_geonames. Find one: POST https://gateway.pipeworx.io/v1/tools/search_packs with {"query":"..."}.
Standalone (no gateway account)
This package also runs as a local stdio MCP server — no Pipeworx account, no gateway round-trip:
{
"mcpServers": {
"geonames": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@pipeworx/mcp-geonames"]
}
}
}Or run it directly to confirm it starts:
npx -y @pipeworx/mcp-geonamesIt speaks MCP over stdin/stdout and answers initialize/tools/list/tools/call
for only this pack's tools — none of the shared meta-tools the gateway
connection above adds. Same source, same tools, no ask_pipeworx routing.
Using with ask_pipeworx
Instead of calling tools directly, you can ask questions in plain English — this works on the pack endpoint above as well as on the full gateway:
ask_pipeworx({ question: "your question about Geonames data" })The gateway picks the right tool and fills the arguments automatically.
More
License
MIT
Frequently asked questions
What is Geonames?
GeoNames MCP — GeoNames geographical database API
How do I install Geonames?
It runs as a remote server. In Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http geonames 'https://gateway.pipeworx.io/geonames/mcp'. For other clients, paste the JSON configuration from this page into their MCP settings.
Does Geonames need an API key?
Its registry entry lists no required key or secret. Some features may still need an account with the service it connects to.
Is Geonames open source?
Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the MIT license.
Who maintains Geonames?
It is published by pipeworx-io. AI.tn lists it but does not maintain or endorse it.
From the official MCP Registry. Listing is not an endorsement: review a server's code and permissions before giving it access to your data.